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What are vegan shoes?

Vegan shoes are shoes produced without the use of animal materials such as leather, suede, snakeskin, shearling and silk. Vegan leather is typically created from polyurethane attached to a cotton backing, and vegan suede is created out of synthetic fibres. Beyond Skin vegan shoes and boots are made of luxury Italian faux leather, recycled microfibre suede, cream lacquered resin soles, recycled faux leather lining with a plant polymer coating, and an assortment of beautiful woven fabrics.

Are vegan shoes bad for the environment?

The majority of faux leather is composed of petrochemicals, and even though plastic is not without its environmental flaws, when compared to the environmental impact of leather tanning, we believe vegan leather manufacturing is the lesser of two evils. Leather is tanned using dangerous chemicals in countries with little or no health and safety protections for workers, and minimal environmental regulations. One of the chemicals often used for tanning called chromium is listed as one of the top ten worst pollution problems in the world. Meanwhile, textile technology is always advancing, with new materials made from recycled natural fibres currently in development. On the whole, we feel vegan leather is a more environmentally-friendly choice to leather.

Why are vegan shoes so expensive?

Beyond Skin vegan shoes are more expensive than the high street because our shoes are made in the EU (Spain) by talented shoemakers who are protected by employment laws and health & safety regulations, avoiding the unsafe conditions and poverty pay that happens elsewhere in the fashion industry that often allows prices to be so low. We also found out that after oil, fashion is the biggest polluting industry, so we wanted to source only the best quality recycled synthetic materials for our footwear. As we’re striving to make shoes that tick all the boxes of not harming humans or small children, not harming the planet and not harming animals, this makes our vegan shoes more expensive.

Can you polish vegan shoes?

Thankfully there’s no need to buy pricey shoe polish or a special brush for vegan footwear. As faux leather is usually created using plastic (polyurethane), to take care of them, simply wipe with a damp cloth. Some fabric protectors are also suitable for microfibre suede (please do always check the label on the fabric protector).